As we enter this unpredictable hurricane season, I got to thinking about some of life’s other rhythms that we move to and are affected by, whether we’re aware of it or not, and what happens when they’re disrupted.
At a recent editorial meeting for The Naples Press, we discussed how best to cover high school graduations in Collier County; we talked about last year’s coverage and sought ways to do things a bit differently this year. The conversation quickly turned to how this class of high school students did just about everything differently during its high school tenure, as did their university counterparts. For the tens of thousands of 18-year-olds in Southwest Florida who just graduated as the Class of 2024, high school began during a global pandemic and a COVID-colored cloud of fear and uncertainty. Their junior years were rocked by a massive, deadly hurricane. How different did that make their high school experience from that of previous years and generations of students, and what does their concept of normal look like now?
It couldn’t have helped their educational experience that Florida is in the midst of an ongoing teacher shortage. Across the state, fewer new teachers are entering the field, experienced ones are leaving and the population growth continues to strain demand. In “Classrooms in Crisis” on p. 40, Beth Luberecki examines some of the factors contributing to the shortage, what could be done about it and why it should matter to all of us, even if we don’t have school-aged kids.
The disruptions of COVID-19 and Hurricane Ian also hit at critical times in the lives of those who had just finished high school and were entering college or the workforce, influencing their perceptions of what it meant to be away from home and family.
Obviously, people differ from one another in billions of individual and unpredictable ways, but it’s true that there are broad generalizations to be made across generations, and that the characteristics and expectations of people entering the workforce in 2024 are likely to be different than those who started their first jobs in 2004, or 1984. In “Overlapping Eras” on p. 50, Melanie Pagan talks with local educators and experts about some of Gen Z’s strengths and challenges, and how successful businesses are finding ways to integrate these new employees.
Of course, life’s rhythms also don’t stop just so we can figure out how to cope with change, so we’re all, individually and collectively, trying to do the best we can as we go. Pulling together a group of people to work successfully toward a common goal is an accomplishment in itself, and for those who make it look easy, who do it better than anyone else … well, there’s a reason we’re pleased each year to present the Best Places to Work in Southwest Florida. The 2024 honorees, as seen beginning on p. 58, are local businesses that excel in their chosen fields of endeavor while supporting, valuing and providing paths to growth for their employees, and also taking concrete steps toward improving the community. We commend them and the examples they set for whatever seasons each of us are in.
